The simplicity of the Zhadu board design belies a depth and uniqueness in the stones movement. While from first appearance there appear to be eight triangles, there are in fact four places within each one that a stone may reside – near the three corners and the center.

“The path you travel are the steps you leave behind” – Guhrel

This results in a total of 32 spaces on the Zhadu board for the stones to move along. One’s journey in becoming adept at Zhadu consists of learning to understand the “pathways” of which the stones travel.

In the picture above, the lines represent how one space relates to another within a triangle and the “pathways” by which a stone may in fact travel from one triangle to the next. The points or intersections represent where a stone may reside.

“Many paths of Zhadu remain hidden from the onset. It â€Šis crucial to know how to walk before deciding on ones destination.â€œ – Hakummar

Some folks have inquired how come these so-called “pathways” aren’t made visible on the board itself. Besides the aesthetic considerations, the learning of the pathways as illustrated in the image is not meant to be the end of understanding, but the beginning. In order to truly explore the subtle depth of Zhadu, one must learn to see beyond the individual spaces (this includes “counting” them as well) and start seeing the board in terms of ‘diamonds’. This is referred to in the narrative as the lost art of the Gaze. We’ll explore this in another discussion.